Sustainability Challenge Day 15 – Shop at a farmers market or farmstand

Welcome to day 15 of the UW Bothell Earth Month Sustainability Challenge! 

Each day of April you can expect a blog post with the day’s challenge, as well as some background information, optional additional reading to expand your knowledge, resources, and updates on other events brought to you by the UWB Sustainability Office. 

Today’s challenge is: Shop at a farmers market or farmstand!

I challenge you to learn a farmer’s name this weekend! Becoming more acquainted with where our food comes from allows us to consider the environmental impacts of our culinary choices. Should I buy a juicy red tomato in January? At the farmers market, that’s not an option. That is because that tomato was either grown in an artificial hothouse or on a different continent, the soil was most likely saturated with fertilizer and pesticides, then it was picked while it was still green, flown across the ocean, artificially ripened, and driven to the grocery store where you chose it off the shelf. Is that tomato a better choice than a locally grown winter squash, picked from the vine at most 12 hours before you brought it home? Probably not.

Farmers markets support local economies and diversify farms, crops, and soils, making them more resistant to climate change, pests, and diseases with the use of less fertilizer and pesticides. While they can be more expensive than a conventional grocery store, you are paying for the true labor costs of growing a vegetable rather than the subsidized version at the grocery store. And oftentimes, seasonal produce is cheaper than out of season produce at the grocery store. 

Additional Reading:

• Woodinville Farmers Market
• Seattle Farmers Markets
• Yakima Fruit Market 
• 21 Acres Farm Market
• Oxbow Farm Stand
• Washington Farmers Market Association
• UW Farm CSA
• Growing role of farmers markets
• Johns Hopkins: Health benefits of farmers markets

Get involved with Earth Month. Check out our website to find out more information about events, this year’s theme, and our Sustainability Action Plan! 

Upcoming Earth Month Events:

• Clothing Swap Pop-Up Thrift Store 4/18-20
• Farm Lunch and Learn 4/19
• Bike Commuting Lunch and Learn 4/25
• Bikes and Brews 4/27

Thank you for participating!